Extensive coverage of Muhammad Ali's funeral services and memorial today (June 10) in his hometown of Louisville, Ky., is planned on ESPN, TV One and Bounce TV, the networks have said.
With at least nine-and-a-half hours of live presence and coverage of Friday’s day of remembrance for Muhammad Ali, SportsCenter on ESPN (streaming live on WatchESPN) will serve viewers wanting to see the planned 19-mile procession and the ensuing memorial service. The former Olympic gold medalist, three-time heavyweight boxing world champion and cultural icon died one week ago at age 74 and programmers have poured out remembrances.
Beginning with SportsCenter:AM at 7 a.m. ET and continuing through the service’s completion, viewers will get comprehensive access to the day’s events, anchored in Louisville by Hannah Storm and Jeremy Schaap outside the KFC Yum! Center, where the memorial service will be held.
TV One is pre-empting its regularly scheduled programming to broadcast live the memorial service. Beginning at 2 p.m. ET, Roland S. Martin, host of TV One's News One Now, will report from the show's Washington, D.C., studios. In addition, TV One will continue to celebrate the life of "The Greatest of All Time" with a special encore presentation of the one-hour documentary Muhammad Ali: Fighting Spirit, airing at 7 p.m. ET. Martin and guest panelists will also share commentary during the entire public service at the KFC Yum! Center.
Bounce TV said its coverage will start at 9 a.m. with the funeral procession through the streets of Louisville and will carry through his memorial service, aired live, uninterrupted and commercial-free. The memorial service, scheduled for 2 p.m. ET, is to include eulogies by Bill Clinton, Bryant Gumbel and Billy Crystal. Between the procession and the service, Bounce TV will present 1977 biopic The Greatest (starring Ali as himself) along with several special tributes throughout the telecast of Premier Boxing Champions on Sunday night, June 12, starting at 9 p.m. ET. Bounce TV's coverage is in partnership with its Louisville affiliate, Raycom Media-owned WAVE-TV.
BET and Centric will air the memorial sesrvice commercial free as part of its news special, BET Remembers Muhammad Ali: The Memorial Service beginning at 2 p.m. BET Networks will also broadcast and encore airing of BET News' The Truth Series documentary Muhammad Ali: The People's Champ at 1 p.m.
